Plagues were a deadly problem in ancient times. The reasons for their occurrence were not only due to the lack of medical advancements but also the frequent wars, especially large-scale battles involving tens or even hundreds of thousands of soldiers. The heavy casualties, combined with the failure to properly handle the dead and maintain hygiene, often led to outbreaks of plague.
Throughout history, figures like Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing had devoted significant efforts to combating plagues. Similarly, Sun Simiao, the renowned physician, had also focused on this issue. Daniel Davis, naturally, paid attention to this as well. Thus, many of the medical knowledge articles published in the newspaper were about dealing with plagues.
Given this, Sun Simiao was eager to meet Daniel Davis. Indeed, the elderly man was none other than Sun Simiao, the "Medicine Saint."
"Everyone's here."
"Greetings, Your Highness."
Looking at the crowd gathered in the courtyard, Daniel Davis nodded slightly. The people present were all top experts from the Demon Sect, including several of the Eight Great Demon Masters, such as Zuo Youxian, An Long, Rong Fengxiang, and Zhu Yuyan. Aside from Shi Zhixuan, Xi Ying, and the deceased You Niaojuan, the others had all arrived.
Additionally, members of the Yin Kuai Sect, such as Wan Wan, Bai Qing'er, and the Four Beauties, along with other experts from the various factions of the Demon Sect, had also come. This was the first time Daniel Davis had summoned them all. Except for Hou Xibai, who was too stubborn to show up, everyone who should have come was present.
It had to be said that Shi Feixuan's charm was indeed extraordinary. Even as a bald nun, she still managed to captivate people. Fortunately, Hou Xibai's infatuation was limited to Shi Feixuan alone and didn't extend to the Ci Hang Jing Zhai. Otherwise, Daniel Davis might have had to clean up Shi Zhixuan's mess by eliminating him.
"Zhu Yuyan, I'll leave them to you. My order is to leave no one alive."
"As you command."
Seeing the flicker of excitement in Zhu Yuyan's eyes, Daniel Davis waved his hand. In the next moment, under Zhu Yuyan's lead, the group swiftly moved out.
The reason Daniel Davis had gathered the Demon Sect's experts was to prepare for an imminent operation. Their target was the Buddhist sects, led by the Pure Mind Monastery, as well as the various aristocratic families that had infiltrated Luoyang.
Waiting for the enemy to strike first and then reacting was the Twin Dragons' style, not Daniel Davis's. In the original timeline, the Twin Dragons were often reacting to others' schemes, such as Xiang Yushan. Despite knowing he was problematic, they never took preemptive action. The same went for dealing with Li Shimin and Shi Feixuan—they were always on the defensive.
This time, to deal with the Pure Mind Monastery and the aristocratic families, the Demon Sect's experts were only one part of the plan. Daniel Davis's personally trained guards were also mobilized, along with the experts recruited into the Six Gates.
Finally, there was the army. Five thousand elite soldiers were summoned from outside the city, along with five thousand imperial guards, totaling ten thousand troops to completely quell the chaos in Luoyang.
"It's begun. It's time for me to act."
Seeing the thick black smoke rising in the distance, Daniel Davis knew the battle had started. He wasn't worried about the fighting within Luoyang. In terms of both the number and quality of experts, his side far surpassed the enemy. This was a crushing victory in the making.
As for his own target, it was naturally the Pure Mind Monastery. The monastery was now surrounded by his troops, making it impossible for even a bird to escape.
However, Daniel Davis didn't immediately launch the attack. Instead, he had his men use loudspeakers to loudly announce the crimes of the Pure Mind Monastery—harboring criminals, amassing wealth, colluding with foreign enemies, and harboring ulterior motives. Almost every crime a Buddhist sect could commit, the Pure Mind Monastery had a hand in.
While some of the accusations might have been exaggerated, none were false. Even if the Pure Mind Monastery hadn't committed certain acts, other Buddhist sects had. In terms of propaganda, Daniel Davis adhered to the principle of not fabricating lies. Exaggeration and pushing boundaries were acceptable, but outright falsehoods were not.
There were no walls that didn't leak. For individuals, fabricating lies might be manageable, but for a state, such behavior was absolutely unacceptable. It was a matter of governmental credibility. Shang Yang's "Establishing Trust at the City Gate" during his reforms was precisely to establish the government's credibility.
Under the siege of the army, the gates of the Pure Mind Monastery remained tightly shut. The warrior monks inside were on high alert, but it was clear that many of them were visibly panicked. None of them had expected that the Great Tang would actually dare to attack the Pure Mind Monastery—not just as a show of force, but a real attack. Earlier, several monks, relying on their status as members of the Pure Mind Monastery, had stepped out to speak, only to be instantly pierced by a barrage of arrows.
The troops Daniel Davis had dispatched were all equipped with the latest crossbows, and even siege crossbows designed to deal with experts were deployed in large numbers.
Negotiation was not an option for Daniel Davis. He would negotiate with the Buddhist sects, but only if they accepted his terms. The existence of the Buddhist sects would continue, but the Pure Mind Monastery, the Ci Hang Jing Zhai, and even the so-called Four Sects would have no place in this new order.
"Abbot, what should we do now?"
In the main hall of the Pure Mind Monastery, a group of monks gathered, their anxious eyes fixed on Abbot Liaokong, who sat before a massive golden Buddha statue. The sudden turn of events had left many of the monks panicked, especially since Daniel Davis showed no intention of negotiating, which only deepened their fear.
Among the monks present, only Liaokong and the Four Guardian Vajras remained calm. The greed of the Buddhist sects was evident even in a place like the Pure Mind Monastery, which was supposed to be a sacred Buddhist site. The quality of the monks here was mixed.
"Amitabha."
The hall, which had been filled with noise, immediately fell silent at the sound of the Buddhist chant. However, the monks were soon shocked to see who had uttered it.
"Abbot!" One of the Four Guardian Vajras, seeing Liaokong speak, was visibly shaken. If the chant had come from anyone else, it wouldn't have been a big deal. But Liaokong, who had been practicing the "Silent Meditation" for decades, had just broken his vow of silence. This meant that decades of effort had been wasted.
The Silent Meditation was something Liaokong had undertaken to advance to the grandmaster level. Unfortunately, despite his efforts, Liaokong had not achieved this goal. However, if he had, breaking the Silent Meditation would have allowed him to unleash an attack comparable to that of a grandmaster. This was the power of the Silent Meditation's accumulated energy.
Unfortunately, now that Liaokong had spoken, he would never have the chance to unleash that attack.
"Calm your hearts. I will go and speak with the Tang King."
Having broken his Silent Meditation, Liaokong stood up, solemnly bowed three times to the massive golden Buddha statue, and then, holding a bronze bell, walked out of the hall.
"Abbot, I will accompany you." The Four Guardian Vajras spoke in unison.
Seeing the determination in the eyes of the Four Guardian Vajras, Liaokong hesitated for a moment before nodding. He knew full well that this journey would be one-way. The Four Guardian Vajras also understood this, but they went to buy time for the other monks of the Pure Mind Monastery to survive.
The Pure Mind Monastery was indeed powerful, with nearly a thousand warrior monks, dozens of grandmaster-level experts, nearly a hundred at the innate level, and hundreds of first-rate experts. The weakest among them were still third-rate experts. Such strength was comparable to one of the Four Great Clans.
The only difference was that they lacked sufficient weapons and armor. If the Pure Mind Monastery had enough equipment to arm all their warrior monks, they might have had a chance to break through the encirclement. But without these, the warrior monks charging out would simply be targets for the crossbows.
"Amitabha. Liaokong pays his respects to the Tang King." As the gates of the Pure Mind Monastery opened, Liaokong and the Four Guardian Vajras stepped out, facing the tightly arrayed army and Daniel Davis, who sat on a wooden chair at the top of the 888 marble steps.
"Oh? You broke your Silent Meditation. How interesting. Didn't you consider using the decades of accumulated energy to attack me and see if you could kill me?"
If Liaokong had unleashed his Silent Meditation, even Shi Zhixuan and Zhu Yuyan might have been injured—though this was before Shi Zhixuan became a grandmaster.
"Your Highness jests. Don't you think your actions today are excessive?"
Liaokong didn't engage in any cryptic Buddhist rhetoric. For someone like Daniel Davis, such talk would have been met with a barrage of arrows, as had happened to those who tried it earlier.
"Excessive? I don't think so. Isn't karma something you often speak of? Today's consequences are the result of past actions. The fruits of today are perhaps the seeds of your past greed."
"What must we do for Your Highness to spare our monastery? If you seek our lives, you may take them now. All I ask is a promise from you."
"Hahaha, a promise? Who do you think you are? A bunch of traitors, and you dare ask for a promise from me?" Looking at Liaokong and the Four Guardian Vajras, who seemed ready to martyr themselves, Daniel Davis burst into laughter.
"If Your Highness insists on exterminating us, then the entire Buddhist world will have no choice but to resist with all its might." Once Daniel Davis's laughter subsided, Liaokong stared at him with a serious expression.
"Using that to threaten me? Others might fear offending your Buddhist sects, but unfortunately, I am the exception. By the way, let me tell you something. Song Que is very angry about Fan Qinghui and Xie Hui's schemes against him. He's probably already taken action. After today, there will likely be no more Buddhist sects in Lingnan."
While Daniel Davis had some reservations about completely eradicating Buddhism, the Song Clan had no such qualms. Ever since the Duzun Fort incident, Song Zhi had begun taking action against the Buddhist sects. With Song Que's appearance, the campaign would likely intensify.
It wasn't that Song Zhi couldn't succeed without Song Que. In Lingnan, no force could oppose the Song Clan. Song Que's involvement was to send a message to Fan Qinghui: from this day forward, they were enemies.
"Don't say I didn't give you a chance. I'm standing right here. If you want to kill me, come at me."
With that, Daniel Davis stood up from his chair and walked toward Liaokong and the Four Guardian Vajras. He stopped about five meters away, then beckoned them with a finger.
"Ah."
Seeing the Tang King so close, Liaokong closed his eyes and silently chanted a Buddhist mantra. Then, with a fierce glare, he let out a roar like a lion—the Buddhist technique known as the Lion's Roar. At the same time, the bronze bell in his right hand shot toward Daniel Davis's head like lightning.
Simultaneously, the Four Guardian Vajras behind Liaokong charged at Daniel Davis, wielding their demon-subduing staffs. Since negotiation was impossible, their only option was to kill Daniel Davis, the man who had caused the Buddhist sects so much suffering. If they could kill him, even if it meant sacrificing the entire Pure Mind Monastery, it would be worth it.
The Pure Mind Monastery could be rebuilt, but if Daniel Davis lived, the Buddhist sects would never know peace.
"Quite decisive, aren't you? Unfortunately, you're too weak."
Facing the combined attack of Liaokong and the Four Guardian Vajras, Daniel Davis smiled. With his right hand, he caught the bronze bell, which was infused with Liaokong's full power. Then, with a slight shift of his body, he dodged the attacks of the Four Guardian Vajras. With a swing of the bronze bell, he smashed it into the right shoulder of one of the Vajras. The sound of bones breaking and the Vajra's scream echoed simultaneously.
Thud!
After dealing with the first Vajra, Daniel Davis grabbed the demon-subduing staff from his hand and hurled it forward, piercing the left shoulder of another Vajra.
In moments, seeing two of their comrades fall, the remaining two Vajras were furious but didn't lose their composure. They swung their staffs in a flurry of attacks toward Daniel Davis.
"Buchi, Butan!" Seeing two of the Four Guardian Vajras fall, Liaokong was also enraged. He joined the remaining two Vajras in attacking Daniel Davis with his demon-subduing palm.
"Don't worry, they're not dead yet. Letting you die so easily would be too merciful."
Facing the three attackers, Daniel Davis flicked his fingers, sending the remaining two Vajras' staffs flying. The force of the impact sent the two Vajras stumbling backward, leaving Liaokong exposed.
"Ah!"
Liaokong let out a scream as his limbs twisted and he collapsed to the ground. Daniel Davis had used the bronze bell to shatter his limbs and completely destroy his meridians.
"Abbot!"
"Don't be in such a hurry. You're not going anywhere."
Following the same method, the last two Vajras also fell. After the battle ended, soldiers immediately stepped forward to capture Liaokong and the Four Guardian Vajras.
"Watch carefully as this place is destroyed. Begin the attack."
At Daniel Davis's command, the White Armor Soldiers launched their assault. A barrage of ice spears rained down on the Pure Mind Monastery, while the crossbowmen also began their attack. Daniel Davis had no shortage of crossbow bolts, so there was no need to conserve them. The first wave was a barrage of arrows to soften the enemy.
"Fan Qinghui and Ning Daoqi aren't here. What a stroke of luck."
After the arrow barrage, the real attack began. However, Daniel Davis was somewhat disappointed. He had hoped to capture Fan Qinghui or Ning Daoqi during the assault.
"Handle the rest. Once the wealth is accounted for, this place has no reason to exist."
Although the Pure Mind Monastery's architecture was luxurious, Daniel Davis ultimately ordered its complete destruction. A new town would be built in its place.
(End of Chapter)
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